* Introduction *

Welcome to version 1.0 of the Unofficial Diablo FAQ! Within this document I will attempt to provide the most complete, updated, and correct information about the game Diablo as is possible. Please keep in mind that this FAQ is in no way endorsed or supported by Blizzard Entertainment.

* What is Diablo? *

"Diablo invites you to enter a world of dark gothic fantasy. Choose your persona, and enter the labyrinth beneath the decaying town. As you venture deeper into the catacombs, you'll discover weapons, armor, and magical treasures, and develop your character's skills and abilities. You might also want to bring a friend or two to help... Built in support for battle.net, as well as modem, serial, and network play, insures that you'll never have to go in alone." <From Blizzard's web page>

Q. What type of game is Diablo?

A. Diablo is modeled to be an RPG (Role-Playing Game), focusing heavily on real-time action, much in the manner Ultima 8 was created to be but wasn't. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Dungeons and Dragons RPG, providing a large dose of dungeon-romping spiced up with magic, traps, and, of course, plenty of monsters. NPC (Non-Player Character) interaction is also planned, along with multiplayer support, in case the action elements become tiresome. Overall, Diablo is designed to breathe life into the faltering computer RPG market as a fresh and innovative game.

Q. What is so new about Diablo compared to other games? Why all the hype?

A. There are many reasons why Diablo is one of the most, if not THE most anticipated games of the year. Foremost, the graphics and animation are stunning, providing a sense of realism never found before in an RPG, but more on that later. The programming is top-notch, including everything from spooky sound effects to detailed light-sourcing, yet still delivering exceptional content beyond the eye-candy. RPG lovers and non-lovers alike will feel at home with the game's sophisticated interface and impressive storyline, which will most certainly draw you into the world of the demon Diablo. And finally, the game includes a feature unheard of in a quality single-player RPG: full multiplayer capability. Whether you prefer null-modem or free internet play (see section VI for details), Diablo has got it. For these strengths Diablo is heralded as the game which will bring mass-appeal to the CRPG market.

Q. Who is creating Diablo?

A. Diablo is the brain-child of Blizzard North, a subdivision of Blizzard Entertainment and a division of Davidson & Associates, Inc. Best known for their legendary productions Warcraft and Warcraft II, Blizzard is devoted to creating only the finest-quality and full-featured games. See http://www.blizzard.com for more information.

* What is the story behind Diablo? *

Q. What is to be included in the storyline?

A. Blizzard is far from finalizing the prologue to Diablo at this time, but certain aspects of the plot are known. As Blizzard puts it, "A town vanishes... Creatures roam the countryside... The smell of death hangs heavy in the air... You've been hearing the tales for weeks now. The catacombs beneath the town are said to house long dead warriors from a forgotten age.

Some say that they have awakened. Others say that the maze leads to the gates of Hell itself. Whatever the source of the evil, you have sworn to destroy it." On some unholy day, our character awakens to find its home and its people destroyed, the work of an evil demon called Diablo. The hellspawn's terror does not cease here, however, as legions of his dark minions are released upon the world. In a fit of vengeance, our hero decides that the only way to save himself and his world is to delve into the heart of Diablo's realm, and strike him down in his own lair. Who knows what else may pop up along the way?

Q. What character classes are available?

A. Your hero, although confined to being human, can choose from any of three character classes: the Sorcerer, master of magic, the Warrior, lord of combat, or the Rogue, a sort of mixture of the others, yet still possessing her own unique qualities. It is not yet known if the sex of the hero will be an option, and as of this writing, the Sorcerer and Warrior are male, the Rogue female. Each class of character will have certain strengths and faults, yet each will be almost equally appealing, much in the manner of the Orcs vs. Humans of Warcraft. The Warrior's proficiency, obviously, will be in hand combat, but the warrior is not restricted to this as his sole method of battle.

All spells and magic objects will be open to his use, but he will not wield this power with the skill of the Sorcerer. Likewise, the Sorcerer will be highly trained in the use of magic, but again will not be restricted to only sorcery. Any weapon used by the Warrior can be bestowed upon the Sorcerer, with the appropriate penalty for non-class use. The Rogue, who was created as an Archer in the early design stages, has been revamped to give her a more unique flavor when compared to the Warrior and Sorcerer. She can use all magic and all weapons, again with penalties, but she will most likely be slightly better than the Warrior at magic, and slightly better at battle than the wizard. She will also have a set of interesting talents at her disposal, for example a keener eye great for detecting secrets and traps, and enlightened senses providing her with an extended range of sight. These three classes should create good sense of excitement and add to the replay value of an already deep adventure.

* What does Diablo look like? *

Q. How is the interface designed?

A. As is the trend in adventure games these days, Diablo uses a three-quarters isometric view. This type of view has been used recently in games such as Druid, Relentless, and Ultima. The graphics are all 640x480 Super-VGA and 3-D rendered, heroes, monsters, and walls alike, and the view appears much like a medieval Crusader: No Remorse. The World View of your surroundings takes up a little over 2/3 of the screen, from the top down. Here you see your hero in the center, and you can zoom in or out to enlarge or shrink your surroundings. The bottom portion is the Status and Options area, where you have buttons to access your inventory (which then temporarily unfolds over half of your World View), spell book, disk options, and the like. Also included here is a status line, which updates things such as spells cast or objects acquired, and two globes, one red, one blue. These two globes represent your health and mana, respectively (see section IV. C: "How is the rest of play designed?" for more). All interaction is done through the use of the mouse, including battle.

Q. What do the heroes look like?

A. The three heroes, as mentioned before, are SVGA and fully animated with several thousand frames of animation each. The currently selected weapon is placed in the hero's hand, but other objects such as armor or helms are not viewable upon the character's body.

Q. What do the monsters look like?

A. The monsters are also SVGA and fully animated, like the heroes, and each have their own distinctive sound effects. The undead stagger slowly, the skeletons die in a shower of bones, and the snakes slither with uncanny realism. Unlike Crusader: No Remorse, which suffered from too little variation in the enemy pool, Diablo has a large and diverse number, a virtual cornucopia of monsters. From acid beasts to withering zombies, Diablo has it.

* How is game play designed? *

Q. How is the battle system set up?

A. To keep the action element alive in Diablo, the designers have chosen to include real-time combat as opposed to the traditional turn-based RPG format. Again, learning from the faults in previous games employing real-time combat, Blizzard has placed the emphasis on skill and strategy, rather than forcing players into a mouse-clicking contest. As far as hand combat is concerned, the choice of weapon vs. the specific monster will play a large role in the hero's success or failure. Each tool of destruction has its own swinging speed, so the players must decide if they prefer a quick dagger or a sluggish halberd. Every left-click of the mouse begins a swing, so the player must be certain that their weapon makes contact before beginning another strike. The magic system is different, but not overly so. Right-clicking will cast the currently selected spell, and draw from your mana reserve.

A spell catalog, accessible from the bottom portion of the screen, keeps track of the different magics the hero can use. Spells can be acquired through the discovery of rings, wands, or scrolls, or by finding the occasional spell book. Although the characters start out with only a couple of spells at their disposal, locations such as the Mages' Guild assist in the heroes' quest for knowledge and power.

Q. How is the computer AI designed?

A. Although the AI is still in a transition phase, it is evident from the alpha version that the computer will be no joke. The monsters not only think of themselves as an individual, but as a group, as they often attack from all sides or come one after another in a seemingly endless assault. Smaller creatures find safety in numbers, and skeletons attack with a non-stop mindless rage. Evasive maneuvers are not uncommon to the creatures, nor is it unusual to see the AI taking advantage of the heroes' weaknesses.

Players who are about to cast a spell or make an attack will often find themselves stumbling backwards after a monster strikes, unable to follow through with their attempt. Though it still needs work at this stage, the computer AI will most likely turn out to be quite a formidable opponent.

Q. How is the rest of play designed?

A. Bits and pieces of other play design factors are known. For instance, a good portion of treasure, weapons, and armor are found on the bodies of the deceased. After successive use, the weapons or armor may become worn, and require a blacksmith to restore their strength. If the heroes choose, they may return to the surface for further discussion, to purchase equipment, or for discussion with the few remaining NPCs of the village.

Wounds can be healed through the use of magic or physical means, but unlike an earlier report, cannot be healed through simply waiting. This revised feature insures that there will be nothing but non-stop action in Diablo.

* What is the setting like? *

Q. What is the appearance of the levels?

A. Following suit with traditional RPGs, Diablo is set in a medieval land. Most of the areas to be explored are dungeons, with brick walls, stone floors, high pillars, looming arches, and spiraling stairwells. Torches line the walls, blood is scattered over the cold stone floor, and darkness lingers everywhere beyond the hero's torch. Shadows are also implemented nicely, adding to the already impressive hi-res realism. Another nice touch involves the use of translucent walls in the foreground which would otherwise block creatures or items behind them. Seasoned RPG gamers recall games such as Crusader: No Remorse or Ultima where all too often a chest or body would sneak under one of these walls, unable to be seen or manipulated with the set 3/4 perspective. After an all-too-long wait, this problem is corrected with Diablo's enhanced engine.

Q. Is level layout always the same?

A. No. This is another area where Diablo will most likely shine. In an attempt to enhance replay value and add to the excitement of multiplayer games, Blizzard has added a dungeon randomizer. The entire level layout, including all items and creatures, is different every new game. And if the player finds a level which they would like to return to in a new session, the seed number of the level can be saved and recalled. Whether you love single or multiplayer games, you can be assured that you'll never know where the next turn may lead or what may lie within the coffin before you.

Q. Do you just fight monsters, or are there subplots?

A. In the rare case that the hunt for the demon Diablo may grow tiresome, Blizzard has included a variety of mini-quests for the player to embark upon. A player may stumble upon one of these new paths, or they may be directed by an NPC. Once again, a randomizing engine is used, and each new game Diablo chooses from a database of 30 quests to use. Anywhere from six to eight of these subplots are used in any one game. And once (if) you have completed the game, you can return quite a few times, resting assured that the plot of the game will not be the same as before.

Q. Are there music and sound effects to add to the atmosphere?

A. Most definitely yes. The music is clear and crisp, adding to the gaming experience without becoming a nuisance. There are a variety of music tracks, all redbook audio, and all intuitively designed. With each new area or setting, the music automatically adjusts itself to support the ambiance.

As for the sound effects, these will be equally well-done, with examples such as blood-curdling screams and crackling fires. The main character and NPCs will have voice-overs to their conversations, making full use of the capabilities of CD-ROM media.

* How is the multiplayer aspect of Diablo implemented? *

Q. What types of multiplayer games are available?

A. The multiplayer aspect of Diablo encompasses every form of gaming available, short of hot-seat competition. For those of you with null-modem cables, a serial game is possible, as is a modem game over telephone lines.

With an IPX-compatible network, larger multiplayer sessions are possible, but at this time only up to four players are supported in any one game. While the fact that Diablo is IPX-compatible suggests that the game will be Kali-compatible, Blizzard has eliminated the need for Kali with its innovative "battle.net". Read on for details.

Q. What is "battle.net"?

A. As an extra service to its players, Blizzard has developed a Kali-like internet server designed specifically for Diablo. Entitled "battle.net", all a player must do is load up Diablo and select Internet from the main menu to be linked to a battle.net server. From that point, players may chat in a variety of channels, challenge other opponents, or engage in multiplayer games. Blizzard charges no fees for this service, no startup, hourly or monthly costs, so gamers can battle to their hearts' content. Unfortunately, the four-player game limit is still in effect. The only requirement is a Internet connection. Be aware that any hourly or monthly charges from your local Internet Service Provider still apply. Battle.net will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Allen Adham, president and founder of Blizzard Entertainment, spoke recently to the press concerning this new service. "Internet gaming is the next level in computer entertainment, and we are dedicated to offering our customers the latest in on-line multiplayer technologies. The multiplayer option in our products is an integral part of the gaming experience, so we designed battle.net to not only provide easy access to on-line competition, but to do so with no extra game charges to our customers." <From Blizzard's web page>

Diablo is the first of Blizzard's games to take advantage of battle.net, but future titles will most likely include the service. Starcraft, a sort of Warcraft II in space due out the end of this year, will also have enhanced battle.net capability.

Q. Is Warcraft's 'cloning' technology included in Diablo?

A. Yes. It is reported that Diablo will carry a cloning engine similar to the one available on the Warcraft II install utility. This feature allows a player who does not own the game to legally play multiplayer games, as long as at least one player in the game has the Warcraft CD available. It is unknown if the specifics of the cloning remain the same, but it should perform as expected.

Q. How does play change during multiplayer games?

A. Much of the game remains the same during multiplayer sessions. The randomizer is in effect, and gamers may engage in cooperative play, or, of course, deathmatches. For the former, a party of four may be formed, solving puzzles as a team and battling monsters as a group. Don't worry if a teammate gets on your nerves: players can freely harm each other, and sneak attacks on each other will not be uncommon. It will be very interesting to see how this characteristic of Diablo unfolds at release time.

* What kind of hardware does Diablo require? *

A. Surprisingly, the requirements are only typical of today's games. Diablo will need at least a 486/66 Mhz computer, with 8 megabytes of RAM for single-player games, or 12 megabytes for multiplayer support. A mouse is required, along with a Super-VGA VESA compatible video card. The game will be released on CD only, and a minimum of a double-speed CD-ROM is required. Diablo is also a Windows 95 native game, using the latest in DirectX technology, so DOS or Windows 3.1 diehards are out of luck (These minimum requirements describe my computer exactly!). A Macintosh version is in the works, but the hardware requirements are not known at this time.

Diablo is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment. All trademarks, products, or copyrights contained within this document are owned by the companies who market or license those products. The author assumes no responsibility for any errors in the above document. Please feel free to reproduce/post this FAQ! Any modification without the expressed written permission of the author is prohibited. Have a nice day!